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Standerton is a large commercial and agricultural town lying on the banks of the Vaal River in Mpumalanga, South Africa which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. The town was established in 1876 and named after Boer leader Commadant AH Stander. During the Second Boer War a British garrison in the town was besieged by the Boers for 3 months. General Jan Smuts won this seat during elections and went on to assist in setting up the League of Nations. Standerton is part of the Lekwa Local Municipality.
History
Standerton was named after the owner of the farm "Grootverlangen" Nr.156. Adriaan (Andre) Hendrik Stander who was born 12 December 1817 districk George. In 1864 he bought the farm. Stander died 1896 and is buried in Standerton. A syndicate bought the farm in 1875 from Stander and the town was proclaimed on 14 December 1878.
Grootdraai Dam
Grootdraai Dam is situated in the upper reaches of the Vaal River less than 10 km upstream of Standerton. It has a catchment area of 8 195km2, a mean annual precipitation of approximately 750mm, a mean annual potential evaporation at the dam site of 1 400mm and a natural inflow of 580 million m3/a. The full supply capacity of the reservoir is 364 million m3, making it a 0.7 MAR dam. The Grootdraai dam was completed in 1982.
